


Tales of the Luminary

by Bilbosama



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Act 2 Spoilers, Act 3 spoilers, Crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Monty Python, Story Collection, accents and speech patterns are kinda hard to emulate but I'll do my best orz, author doesn't have a switch so dqxi s content is not canon in here, contains all the spoilers, do not copy to another site, fic will be marked complete between updates because the writer's block is that bad, nautica-raised au, the Eyebrows Incident(TM), the Luminary goes by Xander, will be sporadically updated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2020-07-08 17:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19873312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bilbosama/pseuds/Bilbosama
Summary: A collection of single chapter stories focusing on Dragon Quest XI. Heed individual chapter warnings.





	1. Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Dragon Quest XI story collection. The reason why I'm making an one-shot collection instead of just posting them as separate entries as I finish them is due to my concerns of accidentally spamming a tiny fandom.
> 
> Just a heads up: The Luminary's name will be Xander in all my stories because I got too attached to the name I used in my save file.
> 
> There will be Act 2 and 3 spoilers. Each chapter will have a warning.
> 
> Collection Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Quest XI. It is owned by Square Enix. If any of my works appear outside of my username in fanfiction.net (bilbo-sama), Archive of Our Own (bilbosama), tumblr (bilbosama), and dreamwidth (bilbosama), it has been done so without my permission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually going to post a different story first but alas writer's block is being a jerk. So I did the next best thing: focus on a different idea.
> 
> This was originally part of an AU where the plot happens ten years earlier so the Luminary would be six years old instead of sixteen. It soon occurred to me midway writing that this idea works just as well with his canon self. That and I don't have enough energy to punch writer's block in the face in order to write the whole AU out. So I decided to focus on what's sticking around in my head the most.
> 
> (This one can be read as Luminary x Gemma or just a platonic friendship. I'm not really sure what I was going for orz)
> 
> **Act 2 and 3 spoiler warning**

[Side A]

As Hendrik watched the Luminary ( _"Please. Call me Xander."_ ) say goodbye to his mother (or rather, attempted to before his mother wailed and hugged him tightly as he started flailing his limbs), he reflected on how well the young man managed to fight in battle despite the disadvantage from losing abilities related to his title.

It was, however, apparent that he had some training in Valorian sword fighting. Someone among his missing companions had been to Puerto Valor.

He was knocked out of his musings when Miss Gemma rescued the Luminary from his plight.

"I hope you haven't been doodling eye-brows onto every dog you've come across, Xander," she said teasingly. A few adults, who Hendrik recognized being from Cobblestone, chuckled. A nostalgic air came down around them.

Xander spluttered in response.

"That was one time!" he yelped, mortified and red faced. "You gave me a black eye for it!"

"And you punched back like a kitten," Gemma grinned and the dog known as Sandy woofed cheerfully.

"We were six at the time!"

"Do not fret," declared Hendrik with a serious expression, "I will make sure all dogs we come across in our travels remained unmarked."

"Thank you, Sir Hendrik," Gemma giggled while Xander glared at him. Hendrik didn't know it was possible for one's face to get redder when the girl suddenly hugged her childhood friend.

She must've whispered something into his ear because Xander nodded in response and replied quietly, "I'll try."

"You better," said Gemma.

Several months later, Hendrik and Xander's companions watched as the girl's face light up once she saw him return victorious.

* * *

[Side B]

"That was one time!" yelled a red-faced Luminary while his companions made their amusement known, "We were six and you gave me a black eye for it!"

"And you punched back like a kitten!" was Gemma's response. At this, Erik and Veronica couldn't hold back their laughter anymore.

 _Fascinating_ , thought Hendrik and he frowned as a feeling of deja vu came over him. When did he hear this conversation before?

He tried to focus on when it happened but the memory slipped out of his grasp and was gone. He felt disconcerted by it.

"Don't worry!" Erik interrupted Hendrik's train of thought and he returned to reality where the thief grinned as he clapped the Luminary's shoulder, "we'll make sure this guy is on his best behavior." He received a betrayed look in response.

" _Si,_ we can't have you fulfill your dreams as a make up artist just yet, darling," added Sylvando teasingly.

"You guys aren't going to let me live this down, aren't you?" said the Luminary, resigned, as they headed to the exit of Cobblestone, his concerns of his fellow villagers laid to rest once he saw everyone working hard to revive the village.

"Nope," replied Erik, "not until it stops being funny."

END


	2. What If We Build A Large Wooden Badger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have an idea," declared a Heliodoran soldier, "what if we build a pit trap?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no decent excuse for this one. I was bored and thought it was funny.
> 
> Enjoy. :D
> 
> This is set during Act 1 between post-Gallopolis and pre-Octogonia.
> 
> (Eh, I was considering to discard the 'giant pile of one shots in one fic' idea because the tag turned out to be more active then I thought. But then September kicked in and ultimately I'm just going to stick everything that doesn't require multiple chapters in here. So...yeah. Never mind.)

"I have an idea," declared a Heliodoran soldier as he and the rest of his unit settled down at a campfire, their pursuit of the Darkspawn and his allies put on hold for the night.

"Greg," sighed the guy by his left side, "no offense but your ideas are crap."

"Hear me out!" whined Greg, "It's a real good one!" At this, Sir Hendrik flicked his eyes away from his book (does that guy ever read anything else besides technical manuals?) for a second before resuming his reading.

"Alright, fine," said the archer who was watching the campfire's perimeter. He crossed his arms, "Let's hear it."

"What if we build a pit trap?"

All activity ceased and Greg was aware of eyes staring at him. Even Sir Hendrik had lowered his book.

Oh jeez. This...this was a bit much. It's making him feel nervous.

"Has the desert melted your brains?" someone had asked.

But...what if this plan works?

Greg took a deep breath. Right, here goes nothing.

"This Darkspawn guy is always a step ahead of us, yeah?" Greg started, "but his gang must be telling him on where to go next. So what if we skip the next town so we can trap him?"

"We are heading to Gondolia to meet with Jasper," said Sir Hendrik, "The next town the Darkspawn might strike next after that, Puerto Valor, is across the sea. Its possible that the villain will be looking for a ship."

"But what if they don't go to Puerto Valor?" said the woman near the archer, her lance draped across her lap half-cleaned, "what if they head straight to Octogonia?"

...That was a good point as Greg thought it over. Last he heard, there was a tournament coming up and the grand prize was rumored to be a piece of Yggdrasil Herself. Sure, why not.

But letting the Darkspawn get a hold of it would not end well for anyone.

Sir Hendrik must've realized that too because he declared, "Very well. We'll go to Octogonia. But someone will have to meet with Jasper's unit to alert them of the change in plans."

"I'll go," the archer volunteered.

"Excellent. Now, who here has the chimera wings?"

* * *

Greg quietly sighed as he brushed sweat off his forehead. Digging a trap in the middle of the road was harder than he expected.

First you have to find the right spot.

Then you have to dig the hole only to discover that some of the local wildlife burrow underground to sleep during the day.

Then you drive off said wildlife that's angry about their sleep being interrupted.

Then you have to debate whether or not you should continue digging or just cover it up. Everyone decided that it was better if they keep digging. Fortunately, there was no signs of baby monsters in the nest.

Then you climb out of the pit and cover it up with sticks.

Then Sir Hendrik takes one look at it and declares it unsatisfactory and too obvious.

So you have to travel further until you are a day away from Octogonia and build another trap. Everyone's first attempt is just the decoy trap apparently.

And so here is Greg, on the digging crew. Again. He wished he got on the watch team to prevent monster attacks. He could've sworn he saw a creature riding a skeleton thing a few hours ago.

Maybe that's what Sir Hendrik is doing this time. Maybe he's off slaying creepy skeleton steeds so the Darkspawn doesn't get one as well.

When the pit was deemed finished, everyone climbed out and learned what Sir Hendrik was doing this whole time.

He had made a tarp and weaved a few leaves on it.

The tarp looked very well made. It was rather impressive.

Was there anything Sir Hendrik couldn't do?

The tarp was carefully laid over the pit and some dirt and more leaves covered it up.

It looked like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Now we wait," said Sir Hendrik.

* * *

By the roots of Yggdrasil, waiting was _boring_. There was nothing to do for the past several days other than hide in the bushes staring at a random spot on the road.

Greg was pretty sure he can't tell where the stupid trap is anymore. Which...was probably the point but eventually its going to backfire on them instead.

He wondered if Sir Jasper got lucky and captured the Darkspawn.

...But then that would've made this exercise a complete waste of time.

Oh jeez, what if it was? What if Sir Hendrik knew it the whole time?

As Greg stewed in his anxiety, a messenger bird swooped in and hovered around Sir Hendrik. He unwrapped the twine holding the letter to the bird's leg and read it.

"Sir Jasper's efforts in Gondolia have failed," he declared rather dramatically, "The Darkspawn is definitely heading towards our way."

Oh great. More waiting.

...Wait.

 _Oh shit, the Darkspawn is coming._ Anxiety tightened in Greg's chest.

"Do not falter, men," encouraged Sir Hendrik, "we have nothing to fear from the likes of the Darkspawn."

* * *

[MEANWHILE]

The Luminary and his companions stared at the scene before them.

"What should we do?" asked Serena.

"Smartest thing would go around it," decided Erik.

'It' being a confused Jargon in a pit that was in the middle of the dirt path. It seemed unimpressed.

"It looks so sad though," said Serena. Everyone else looked back at the Jargon. It was most definitely not sad. In fact, it was figuring out how to escape the trap.

"We should help it," she added. Her twin sighed before walking over to the pit's edge.

"Need any help?" Veronica asked tiredly.

The Jargon roared before spewing fire. Veronica quickly cast a crack spell in response.

"It doesn't want any," she called back, annoyed.

"Are you sure?" said the Luminary who wondered how does one get a very heavy monster of a hole in the ground.

Veronica glanced at the unconscious Jargon. "Yeah, I'm sure."

* * *

[Ten hours later]

Greg yawned as he got ready to start his shift. It was an hour after dawn and so far the Darkspawn hadn't appeared yet.

Maybe they got lucky and the ship he probably has stolen sunk in the middle of the inner sea.

A fellow soldier, Flint, sprinted back to their makeshift camp site.

"He's coming!" he announced. "The Darkspawn will be here within the hour!"

Pandemonium set in as everyone scrambled to clear away signs of a camp site and to claim some of the good hiding spots.

Finally it all quieted down just in time for everyone hear a group of people approaching. It was a mixed bunch of travelers. One of them, a teenager with nice hair and a purple traveling jacket, almost sounded like a farm boy who lived near Heliodor.

Greg heard Sir Hendrik quietly growl, "Darkspawn."

What, that's the Darkspawn? And not the guy who was on some wanted posters for thievery? Not the jester? Heck, for all he knew, the little girl was probably the Darkspawn in disguise. No one would expect it.

The thief suddenly stopped and his eyes narrowed with suspicion as he looked down at the ground, "Wait guys, I think-"

His companions stopped but it was too late. Their collective weight set off the trap and all five yelled out in surprise as they fell in.

A string of curses emerged from the little girl and by Yggdrasil, such phrases shouldn't have been said around the child in the first place!

Everyone scrambled to get out of their hiding places and Greg almost reached the pit when he heard the Darkspawn say "I got an idea, hang on."

A blue light shone from the pit and Greg recognized it as the aura the spell Zoom makes. Oh no. He quickly rushed over but then the light dissipated just as suddenly.

The Darkspawn and his followers were gone.

"He's gone," said Flint unhelpfully.

Sir Hendrik, unmoved, decided, "Let's fill this back up. There's no need for it anymore."

Well...this was just... _fantastic_.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greg was the first name to come to my mind for our hapless hero. Unfortunately, I also forgot that Graig (which kinda sounds similar to Greg) was Hendrik's name in the Japanese version. But by the time I remembered that, I was 800 words deep and decided to continue with it. *shrugs*


	3. Just Keep Swimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ACT 2 SPOILERS] In which Xander vaguely has post-transformation issues and writer's block wins this round

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get the impression that Act 2 starts a month or two after the fall of Yggdrasil. And they said that the Luminary was in a coma the whole time.
> 
> As a fish.
> 
> So part of me was like 'haha, wouldn't it be funny if the Luminary sometimes forgets he's human because he spent so long as a fish' and after some procrastinating, I sat down and wrote it in between bouts of writer's block.
> 
> This ended up less funny than I thought it was going to be. Its also more like a half-assed attempt at novelizing Act 2 with 'lol remember the time you were a fish?' thrown in a lot.
> 
> In the end, writer's block won so I'm just...going to post what I got so far. Um, enjoy, I guess. orz

Blue John eyed his new passenger. The teenager had stopped crying a few hours ago and he had been numbly helping Blue John reel in fish since then. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the lad was in shock.

The most he knew about the boy was that his name was Xander and he'd been bedridden for the past couple of months. How he never noticed the purple clouds blocking out the sun and the monsters becoming more vicious before presumably diving into the sea for food was something Blue John decided to not ask. It wasn't his business.

After ten fish, it was decided that they'll return to shore. Blue John convinced Xander to stay the night in his hut before they set out to the Last Bastion, a nearby settlement where Blue John drops off his catch. It would be safer for the lad to stay there.

Xander stepped onto the pier and started flailing his arms to regain his balance. The fisherman grabbed his shoulder to steady him.

"S-sorry," Xander said for the first time in hours, "it's been awhile since I had legs. I just need to get used to them again."

Blue John watched as the teen cautiously placed one foot in front of the other as he approached the entrance to the shack.

What in the world did that mean?

* * *

Hendrik paused as he noted the Luminary's presence. The young man had survived Yggdrasil's fall, then. Part of him wondered how he managed to do that after the loss of his power.

He internally winced as he remembered that day. How Hendrik could only watch as Mordegon's hand dove into the Luminary's chest and how the pained screams and the desperate hands clawing against the offending arm gradually became weaker and quieter as the Dark One pulled out his prize. How the Luminary dropped like a rock and was barely able to lift his head up afterwards.

...Come to think of it, Hendrik still had no idea how anyone involved survived the Fall. He can tell it was not a good time to ask the Luminary while he still showed signs that he hadn't made a complete recovery. He could barely walk upright as it is.

(If only he sensed something wrong about His Majesty and Jasper sooner...)

As Hendrik settled in, he overheard some conversations. The Cobblestone villagers were beside themselves with relief that Xander (so _that's_ what his name is...) returned safely. Apparently the fisherman known as Blue John found him by reeling him in from the Inland Sea. Why he was in the Sea was never explained.

Hendrik decided that he didn't care how the Luminary was found. He instead focused on how the boy (and that's what he is, a child forced to grow older faster) can best contribute to the Last Bastion.

(It still wont make up for what had done to the Luminary)

* * *

Hendrik felt relief as the Luminary ( _Xander_ ) had joined the fort's militia and proceeded to continue nervously exist in Hendrik's proximity and avoid looking at him.

(It wasn't as though he didn't deserve that)

It was clear that wherever Xander was recuperating, he did not have a chance to regain more of his strength before setting out into the world. It was clear that the sword grasped in his shaking hands was too heavy for him to use for now. But the swarm of monsters heading towards the hilariously small human army will not grant him time to train.

(Xander, meanwhile, was marveling over the fact that his currently human appendages can _hold things_ )

Hendrik focused on his own survival once the battle began. He couldn't afford to be distracted.

(He can't fall here. He is needed. His mistakes haven't been forgiven - )

* * *

It would turn out that Xander did not forget how to wield a blade. Nor did he lose his need to help people (which had been one of the methods of tracking him and his companions down before - ).

Without him, more would have been lost that day and the Bastion would have been taken.

The horde has been routed but it would have been foolish to assume more wont come soon. That is why Hendrik and Xander has been given the mission to infiltrate the ruins of Heliodor even if meant leaving the fort vulnerable.

If they are successful, then they will be one step closer to somehow driving off the darkness from the world.

There was no room for past grievances and yet Hendrik's guilt and Xander's justified nervousness towards him came with them. It made the tense two day journey feel longer.

They rarely spoke to each other during battles and while resting at a campfire. But Hendrik believed some progress was made when he complimented on the boy's improvement on the blade and received a small smile in response.

(He pretended to not notice the occasional failed attempt at casting Zap that was quickly covered up by a more successful Frizz spell. Hendrik knew better to not advise putting off magic until the Luminary is fully recovered. There was no way knowing when that will be.)

At camp sites, they took turns keeping watch and sleeping. There was no guarantee that the goddess statues can continue protecting travelers indefinitely when the source of their power has fallen.

(Hendrik wondered what sort of dream Xander was having if it caused him to startle awake yelping "my fins are gone!" the moment he heard the distant roar of a monster)

* * *

Heliodor's sewers were full of wildlife and for a moment Xander had seemed to tempted to fight the sleeping dragon they came across before deciding against it (much to Hendrik's relief for he had no idea how to explain to King Carnelian and to Miss Amber that he lost the Luminary to an angry dragon).

* * *

"You smell like the sea," Jasper had declared once he slipped through Hendrik's guard and glided right into Xander's personal space, "Not that matters anymore. Nautica has fallen to my colleague's power. There's nowhere for you to hide from my master's gaze."

He teleported away from Hendrik's swipe. Hendrik and Xander looked around frantically in hopes of spotting him before he attacks again.

There was a maniacal laugh above them and they both tensed. A winged furred demon descended into their fields of vision.

"Show me, Hendrik, how serious you are to protect a mere drop of light," smirked Jasper, "when you are destined for obscurity!"

* * *

"There is something I have been wondering," said Hendrik as he and Xander rode on Obsidian's back to the Last Bastion.

"Yeah?"

"What did Jasper mean by Nautica?" the older man asked. "Where is it?"

He felt the Luminary's hands tighten their grip on his tunic before Xander explained that he woke up in an underwater kingdom in the form of a fish. That the mermaid queen did it to save him from drowning and then to hide him from Mordegon's gaze as he healed. He had only been awake for a few days before Queen Marina showed him how dire the world had become. The queen saved his life again by sending him away the moment the barrier keeping Nautica safe was breached.

Until he encountered Blue John, he hadn't been aware that it had been two whole months.

Hendrik wondered if the Luminary had been readjusting to suddenly being human again this whole time. He read once that you were supposed to prepare your mind if you were shapeshifting to prevent...something. He couldn't fully remember the passage but he did recall that Jasper had looked at the spell book dubiously as if it insulted him.

(Come to think of it, there was a lot of misspelled words in that book...)

Before he could voice this concern, Xander added, "I don't think I want to eat fish any more."

Hendrik blinked. It lead to thoughts of what the social dynamics of the sea was like if everyone including you were food to someone else. He shook them away. There was no time to explore them thoroughly.

"Understandable," he managed eventually.

* * *

"By Yggdrasil," grumbled Xander as the two climbed the mountains of Pang Lai, "I wish I can swi -, um, _fly_ my way up."

"It would make the journey go faster," agreed Hendrik who pretended to not notice the quick word switch. In the grand scheme of things, there was other things to be concerned about. Such as a very large dragon attempting dive bomb the two of them into oblivion if its shadow didn't give it away.

* * *

Hendrik caught Xander as he fell unconscious. The High Lama ceased his odd dance and stared at the sleeping Luminary.

"Now we must wait," said the High Lama.

Hendrik knew better than to ask 'out here?' Of course they must stay near this alcove even if it made more sense to carry both Sir Robert and Xander back to the temple. It's possible that whatever the young boy did was only effective within range and if he moved Xander then whatever progress he made would be interrupted.

Hendrik knelt beside Xander and watched the slight movements of his slowed breathing. It was if he was only sleeping and not have been sent to the edge of life and death.

The area around them was quiet. There was no howl of the wind despite snow and cold air blowing past them. There was no roars and calls of the local wildlife. There was only the crunch of the snow beneath Hendrik's boots and him and the High Lama breathing.

The sun hung high up in the sky and seemed to not move. Time did not apply here, Hendrik suspected. Why should it in a holy area?

Hendrik could not measure how long he waited for the Luminary to return. It could have been only mere minutes. It could have been hours. It could have been days.

And then at last Xander woke up. It was brief and whatever he did while retrieving Sir Robert greatly exhausted him. After being gently pushed back down to the ground, Xander's eyes closed and he fell unconscious once more.

"Well," started the greatly emaciated Sir Robert from his perch, "I could use a wee snack."

* * *

Rab was well aware his recovery was astounding to people who never trained in Angri La. But the odd yet brief look of panic on his grandson's face was concerning.

"How long was I truly out?" he overheard Xander ask Hendrik in a near frantic tone.

"It was only a day," Hendrik reassured him, "Sir Robert really did recover that quickly. I've never seen anything like it."

"Okay," was Xander's reply. He sounded relieved but at the same time, he also felt this was a bit dubious.

"So what did you do while in the void?" inquired Hendrik.

"I learned how to summon a giant sword."

"...I see."

"I can show you," offered Xander.

"DO NOT SUMMON IT IN HERE!" everyone in the temple shouted all at once.

(Half a day later, Hendrik and Rab watched as a giant ethereal sword crashed into the swarm of monsters that had surrounded them. The ground beneath everyone was surprisingly left undamaged.

Most of the wildlife in the area left their group be after that.)

* * *

[OMAKE]

"Darling!" squealed Sylvando as he hugged Xander, "it is wonderful to see you again!"

"You too!" said Xander as he looked up and down at the jester, "your scales are more beautiful than ever."

The smile Sylvando was wearing seemed to freeze and Hendrik suddenly sensed danger, "My what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um, yeah. That's the fic. orz
> 
> The bonus bit was originally included but it didn't feel like it fits. But I also wanted to ill-advisedly keep it. So...in the end, its not fic-canon. I guess. *shrugs*


	4. [pre-Luminerik] Land, Sea, and Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peak into the adventures of a Nautica raised Luminary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this here is a concept fic of an AU where the Luminary is raised in Nautica and he comes up to the surface world to meet his destiny. I don't have enough energy (heck, it took me months to finish this orz) to dedicate a full on AU for it and complying with Nautica's speech patterns is harder than I thought.
> 
> So, uh, if you want to take on this AU, go ahead. Just please don't lift word-for-word of this one shot.
> 
> This also contains pre-established Luminary x Erik so if that's not your thing, turn back now.

So the Luminary ("Ah, so you're the one who was taking a gander. My name is Xander.") was living with mermaids his whole life. Apparently they all talk in rhyme in the ocean but who is Erik to judge? I mean, have you ever met a talking slime who hasn't used goo puns?

Erik found him near Puerto Valor after searching every beach he came across (geez, couldn't the Seer be a little more specific?). He didn't know what he expected, but some guy with nice hair close to his age looking at a tree in awe wasn't it.

Xander's excitement over things Erik had taken for granted was endearing (and, he will never admit out loud, kinda cute), even if he had received odd looks whenever they visit a town. Erik, and eventually Sylvando, Serena and Veronica, was looking forward to see what the other boy would react to next.

They had entered a village called Cobblestone on their way to Heliodor when Xander immediately bee-lined to the nearest horse.

"What a majestic creature you are!" He exclaimed as he leaned over the railing of the horse's pen to look closer. His frowned as he spotted a long white line across its flank, "Oh dear...what a terrible scar..." He reached up as if to touch it.

"Excuse me, what are you doing with my horse?" asked a man with suspicion in his voice.

"Oh!" Xander withdrew his hand, startled. "I'm sorry, I should have asked first-"

"No harm done, lad. See, Topaz forgives you." The horse huffed, unimpressed.

"Are you here for the celebration?" said the villager.

"Celebration?"

"Oh yes, tomorrow our mayor's daughter will turn sixteen and undergo the Rite!"

"How wonderful!" cheered Sylvando as he approached Xander and the villager. "Darling, you shouldn't have wandered off without telling anyone! Veronica and Erik were getting worried."

Xander winced. Veronica and Erik would turn the whole village upside down if they couldn't find him. And if Veronica got impatient enough...

"Why don't you lads stay and celebrate with us?" offered the man.

"Oh, that would be lovely," smiled Sylvando, "Let's tell the others, sweetie."

* * *

Gemma at first thought the need for a couple of bodyguards as she climbed up the Tor was ridiculous. Surely nobody had needed a bodyguard when they did the ceremony. She has Sandy with her. Isn't that enough?

Apparently the boy with the nice hair (Xander apparently?), once the villagers figured out what he was saying with the rhyming thing, was about to turn sixteen soon but had no idea when. Where he was from (how can he be from the sea? That makes no sense! How can he breathe underwater?), people tracked time differently.

So he might as well take part in the ritual on top of protecting her. The blue haired guy (who had introduced himself as Erik) with the weird accent shrugged with the calm acceptance of 'what can you do?' as if this was just another day for him.

"At least you're not asking us to do a horse race disguised as somebody else," he said as they discovered that they had chosen the wrong path and turned back to return to the fork.

"How did that go?" Gemma asked.

Erik pointed to Xander, "Second place isn't so bad for a guy who never rode a horse until that day, right?"

"Crikey," Gemma's jaw dropped.

Erik huffed out an amused noise, "Yeah, it was one hell of a sight to watch. He was a natural at it too."

"The horse did most of the work," refuted Xander, blushing.

Sandy suddenly growled. The three humans turned their gaze to what the dog was glaring at and was met with a horde of slimes.

"Oh no," gasped Gemma, "monsters."

* * *

The slimes were quickly dealt with but as the three of them climbed up the Tor, they would encounter the occasional horde of monsters.

Erik wondered if that was part of the ritual thingy. To symbolize the...uh...struggle to...adulthood or something.

Or maybe the monsters moved in during the several year gap between people coming of age and he was looking too deep into this.

Gemma gave the two of them looks whenever he and Xander bantered. He ignored her because the others always did that as well. Was everyone jealous of their friendship? Were they worried his jokes would corrupt the Luminary? Unfortunately for the others, Xander already knew of a few dirty jokes long before Erik showed up. The trick is to recognize it in between his rhymes. It was probably a sign that Erik had been around the guy long enough to understand what he was actually saying. Hopefully Xander will tone it down enough before, say, Veronica catches on and Erik faces her misplaced wrath.

And then at last they reached the top and the three of them were met with a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscape.

"Oh my..." breathed Gemma as she stared out in awed wonder.

Xander looked like he was having a religious experience. Come to think of it, he never saw views of the world like this before.

This is what he had missed out on as he grew up under the water (...supposedly).

Erik wondered what his reaction to snow would be like. Would it be like this? Or would it be like when they accidentally wandered near the base of Hotto's volcano? ("It's blackened to a crisp!" "Yeah, lava can do that." "This red mud gives such heat -" "Don't touch it!")

Erik tamped down the growing excited thoughts of seeing a new source of joy from Xander as the other young man glanced up at the sky.

"It's...so blue," he managed and Gemma nodded in agreement.

Xander turned his gaze over to Erik, who was taken back by the peaceful smile on the Luminary's face, "It reminds me of you."

Erik was vaguely aware of Gemma and Sandy's presence. He felt his face turn slightly warm (why is it doing that?), "It does?"

"The sky was the first thing I saw when I left the sea. You were the next sight after the tree. I never thought I'd meet someone who would match the sky so soon as sight number three."

Somewhere near them, Gemma gasped. Was it because the last line didn't rhyme right?

"Um, uh," stammered Erik, "glad to be of service." Xander's smile seemed to shine brighter in response and Erik felt oddly satisfied by it.

The moment was broken when Sandy sat down to scratch her ear. He had the vague impression that the dog was disappointed about something.

Erik turned to Gemma, "Hey, is there anything else to this ritual we should be doing?"

"Oh!" Gemma seemed oddly disappointed, "Of course, let me show you..."

* * *

Their safe return was a cause of more celebration from the villagers and Gemma and Xander were the focus. All night both were congratulated on reaching adulthood. To Xander's confusion and Gemma's embarrassment, several of the elders hinted that the two should get together someday.

Erik wasn't sure why but he was glad Xander and Gemma weren't agreeing with the idea.

(And besides, if they did get hitched, their choices are either the village in the middle of nowhere or the alleged fish people and that doesn't sound very fair for either person)

Erik wasn't spared from the attention. Some remembered that he was there playing bodyguard and thanked him. One woman who had introduced herself as Amber was very intent on refilling his plate whenever Erik was in proximity of her.

Veronica meanwhile tried to stayed up as long as she can but started to sway on her feet an hour before midnight. She relented when Serena started to yawn.

After that, the party started to wind down as more people yelled good night to each other.

Soon it was just the mayor (Was it Justin? Dustan? Drustan? What was it again?), some guy in Heliodoran armor, Erik, Xander, and Gemma left.

"So what's it like being an official adult for nearly a day?" said Erik.

"It's strange," shrugged Gemma, "I don't feel any different."

She turned to Xander, "Do you?"

He also shrugged, "How do you know if you're an adult? Perhaps tomorrow we should track one down to consult."

"Sounds like a plan," decided Erik while pushing back the panicked realization that he counts as an adult in some places despite being 19. It was way too late (or early) to deal with that now.

He yawned, "Welp, time to hit the hay."

"I'll find you two a room for you to share," Gemma offered.

"Good idea," said Erik, "otherwise this guy," he motioned to Xander, "will stay up all night forging again."

"How sweet of him," smiled Gemma.

"Yeah but not when he's too tired to fight a slime," complained Erik.

"I'm not that terrible," argued Xander, "not when we can give the slimes a proper tremble."

"Yeah but you have to be awake to do that, buddy."

Gemma guided the bickering duo to Miss Amber's home where she knew the woman had some spare beds.

She wondered when the two men will get on the same page and truly confess to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...I tried. orz


End file.
